Andrew Porter opens up about his struggles in Six Nations: Full Contact
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After months of anticipation the Six Nations: Full Contact series has finally landed on Netflix – and it has got the entire rugby world talking.
The Six Nations championship is one of the toughest sporting competitions on the planet.
At this elite level, small margins can be the difference between agony and ecstasy. Pushing themselves to their limits and punishing their bodies in a 7-week physical and mental endurance race, these superhumans battle to be champions.
On the surface, the players are the epitome of masculinity, but this series reveals a different human side exploring universal themes; struggles with mental health, class barriers, and the mindset of extreme human resilience.
URC star Andrew Porter is the focus in Episode 3 of the series where he bravely tells his story.
Porter is one of the world’s best, regularly a standout performer for both Leinster and Ireland, but his mental struggles reveal there is a lot more to him than the man we see on the pitch.
His mother tragically died of cancer just days before the loosehead was due to start secondary school, and he has revealed that he suffered from eating disorders and severe mental health problems during his time in school.
“I've struggled with mental health for years. I'm not afraid to say it,” Porter reveals.
“The day after my mum's funeral, I went straight into secondary school. The timing was incredibly bad.
“You're starting off in a completely new environment, you don't know anyone, you feel completely on your own, and then... you completely isolate yourself.
“There were a few incredibly tough years.
“I went through eating disorders and stuff. There were some days where... I might not be here today.
His heartbreaking backstory sets us up for one of the biggest games in the championship last year – Ireland vs France at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
The top two ranked teams in the world go to battle with many suggesting the winners of that game would go on to win the championship – and they weren't wrong!
Porter was visibly emotional during the anthem, with tears streaming down his face. He explains why in the documentary series for the first time.
“You know when you can hear that one person's voice in the crowd?” Porter says.
“It was always my mum's voice in the crowd.
“I'm obviously thinking of my mum and wishing she was there on big days like that. It's hugely emotional.”
Six Nations: Full Contact is now streaming on Netflix.
